CLEVELAND, Ohio - In a continuing effort to curb campus sexual assaults, the U.S. Department of Education officially proposed a new rule that requires colleges and universities to compile statistics for incidents of dating violence, domestic violence and stalking, Inside Higher Ed reported.

The rule, which would implement changes to the Clery Act under the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, is an attempt at providing a clearer picture of the environment in which sexual assaults of students take place, the department said.

Colleges would also have to train students and employees on preventing sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.

"The Department has the responsibility to ensure that our higher education institutions are creating safe environments for students and are appropriately reporting crimes that occur on or near their campuses," Arne Duncan, the U.S. secretary of education, said in a statement. "These new rules strengthen schools' capacity to provide safer college campuses for students and to keep everyone better informed about campus security policies and procedures."

The changes add gender identity and national origin to the definition of hate crimes under the Clery Act, the federal law that requires institutions to disclose information about campus crimes; strengthens protections for victim confidentially while helping survivors access support services and legal options; and requires that disciplinary proceedings – including appeals – are prompt.

The changes will be open for public comment until July 21, with the final regulations due to be published by November 1, so they can take effect by July 1, 2015.

More details on Starbucks/Arizona State tuition deal: Starbucks will reimburse its employees for studying online at Arizona State University, but students should not expect to earn their bachelor's degree without spending a dime, Inside Higher Ed reported.

In the week since the deal was announced to fanfare about a path to a free college education, details show the program is less straightforward than initially promoted.

Juniors and seniors will get 58 percent of their tuition reimbursed, as well as fees for financial aid, technology and retention coaching, the latter of which is $5 per credit hour. Should they receive federal grants, military education benefits or need-based aid, the reimbursed amount will be lower, Inside Higher Ed said.

To keep juniors and seniors on track to graduate, the contract notes that Starbucks will reimburse only those credits attempted in the previous 18 months. Since students will only be reimbursed for reaching "coursework milestones" -- in other words, completing 21 credit hours -- they either have to keep up with their studies or pay the full cost.

Freshmen and sophomores, defined as students with fewer than 56 credits, will not be eligible for reimbursement, but can receive partial scholarships from Arizona State. If Starbucks chooses to expand the program, Arizona State pledges to cooperate, according to the contract. Until then, those students will pay no more than 78 percent of the standard tuition cost.

Two universities receive funds for STEM development: The University of Dayton and Wright State University are among 20 institutions receiving funds from the Association of American Colleges and Universities for a new initiative called TIDES—Teaching to Increase Diversity and Equity in STEM.

The universities will receive up to $300,000 over the next three years to support curriculum and faculty development in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), particularly in the computer and information science domains.

The TIDES initiative is funded with a $4.9 million grant to AAC&U from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

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